It's been said that "home is where the heart is." Yet for many of China's poor, their hearts aren't in the best places. A relocation plan in southwest China's Sichuan Province has helped thousands of rural villagers out of poverty and into better housing. But officials say some don't want to leave their impoverished situations. CGTN's Wei Lynn Tang takes us to Santai County in Sichuan.

Self-sufficiency. But now with a much safer and convenient home to support himself. In just over a year, 71-year-old Wang Yangui has seen and felt his quality of life vastly improve. He now has running water, a toilet that flushes, and a roof that no longer leaks. Gone are the days of a rainy wet floor creating a slipping hazard in his old clay hut near a steep mountain cliff.

WANG YANGUI, FARMER WANGJIAYAN VILLAGE, SANTAI COUNTY, SICHUAN PROVINCE "Life is ten times better than it used to be. Now I have a refrigerator, I can buy more from the market and make fewer trips there."

Above all, Wang is thankful that he now wakes up to sunshine, spacious concrete walkways, and a sense of security.

WANG YANGUI, FARMER WANGJIAYAN VILLAGE, SANTAI COUNTY, SICHUAN PROVINCE "My income is also better. I used to plant crops like corn and rice, but my income was unstable as these crops are exposed to natural disasters. Now that the land here is leased to cooperatives, we have a fixed income. I believe the future will be good here; more investors have come here to invest, and more income will be shared among land owners."

Wang rose above China's poverty line last year. He earns about 14-thousand yuan annually from managing a nearby loaches farm.

In another village in the same county, a collective relocation program is underway.

You may notice that it's rather empty and quiet here -- that's because over half the village's 1,600 people are in other towns and cities working.

Such is the case for this couple. But they are thankful to have an improved home to go back to, should they plan to.

LUO XING SONGGUANMIAO VILLAGE, SANTAI COUNTY, SICHUAN PROVINCE "Life has changed. Our old home couldn't accommodate four people. This new home -- at 128 square meters in size -- can."

LI XIAOYAN SONGGUANMIAO VILLAGE, SANTAI COUNTY, SICHUAN PROVINCE "We plan to move into our new home next year. It's a cozy place for the old and young to get together. Even though we don't live here now, we always make it a point to clean things up when we visit."

WEI LYNN TANG SHUANGLE TOWNSHIP, SICHUAN PROVINCE "The journey on the road to this village was quite smooth, I gotta say. It's also more convenient to travel to town, something the villagers are grateful for. But now they have been relocated to these government-subsidized homes; how will authorities ensure that villagers don't fall back into poverty? This is just one of the remaining challenges officials are facing."

JIANG CIYONG, DIRECTOR GENERAL REFORM AND DEVELOPMENT BUREAU, SANTAI COUNTY, SICHUAN PROVINCE "There are many reasons why someone is impoverished, whether it's lack of knowledge, skill sets, or the capacity for physical labour. But the hardest ones to persuade are those who don't have the right mindset -- yet -- for ridding themselves of poverty."

By 2020, Santai County plans to have relocated over 10-thousand villagers, part of a program within China's 13th Five-Year Plan.

Since 2015, over 3-thousand people from more than 1-thousand households have been relocated, and thus having lifted out of poverty with now higher incomes.

Santai's reform and development bureau remains confident it can move the remaining 7-thousand villagers in the next two years. But relocation is only just the beginning in the nation's anti-poverty drive.

JIANG CIYONG, DIRECTOR GENERAL REFORM AND DEVELOPMENT BUREAU, SANTAI COUNTY, SICHUAN PROVINCE "Many are content where they are, and are not willing to take the initiative to work and increase their income. They are afraid that once they graduate from poverty, they'll no longer enjoy state benefits. In such cases, we aim to help them leverage their skills and provide them with employment. We continuously seek to educate them on what getting out of poverty truly means."

As for Wang, while years removed from his wife's death and his son apart from him in the city working, he says he's happy, and enjoys life moment by moment, taking in his new found amenities.

WLT, CGTN, Santai County in Sichuan province.